Serenade Surprise
by robertwnielsen
Summary: Hawke has a little surprise for Caitlin...the last thing she'd ever expect from him.


_Serenade Surprise, Part 1_

A/N – As always, I don't own the characters...either Universal or DPB does...but, since _they _won't play with them anymore, I figure I will...as long as I put them back where I found them, when I'm finished.

A/N 2 – This is another idea suggested to me by Starclipper01 – a little fluffy, a little romantic. Hope somebody enjoys it. I originally did not intend for this to be a sequel to any story, but I realize it evolved into a sequel to _Dangerous Dreams._ This story takes place about a week-and-a-half after the events shown in _Dangerous Dreams _– robertwnielsen

_Summary – _Hawke has a little surprise for Caitlin...the last thing she'd ever expect from him.

_I certainly hope she likes it, _Stringfellow Hawke thought to himself as he jotted a few last items on a sheet of music score. He'd been working on this surprise for a week and a half, ever since the day Caitlin had regained her sight, after the accident during the Krueger mission. _Not that you really need to be able to _**see, **_to enjoy something like this, _Hawke said to himself with a smile, _but I suppose it helps._ He still couldn't believe the way things had evolved after he and Cait had confessed their feelings about each other...and, truth be told, he was still a little worried about the curse that always seemed to affect the people he loved. _Caitlin didn't care, though, _Hawke said to himself with a smile as he waited for Caitlin to return from her walk. She had decided to go for a walk alone, just to do some thinking about the direction their relationship had taken, and Hawke had taken the opportunity of some solitary time to finish a short composition he would play for her when she got back. _I hope she likes surprises, _Hawke said to himself worriedly as he carried his cello and music outside to wait, sitting down on the front porch, as he recalled doing the same thing the night after the Carter Anderson III affair. _She seemed to appreciate the little snippets I played then, _Hawke said to himself with a smile as he thought back on that night, _so I hope she enjoys this composition. _

Caitlin O'Shannessy walked slowly along the trail she and Hawke had found a week previous, while she was still suffering temporary blindness after getting hurt while she, Hawke, and Dominic were on a mission for the FIRM. _That was probably the dumbest...and the _**smartest**_ thing I've ever done...getting hurt like that, _she laughed to herself, admiring the forest and everything else around her. _Maybe...just maybe...that was what was _**supposed **_to happen. Maybe I had to get hurt for Hawke to realize how he felt about me...about _**us. ** _But, isn't it just like him? He made _**me**_ tell _**him**_ my feelings, first._

"_Cait...I'll go back downstairs if you want me too, I just thought"—He left the sentence hanging in the air._

"_I know, Hawke. And...I'd like that," she answered him, and tried her best to smile. "It makes me feel better when I can listen to your heartbeat...when I know you're okay. Makes me think...that this is all going to be okay," she continued as Hawke helped her get ready to sleep._

"_I certainly hope so," Hawke replied honestly as Caitlin laid her head against his chest. "Good night, Caitlin," he said._

"_Good night, Hawke. I love you," she whispered, causing Hawke's eyes to snap open. Did she just say what I **think** she just said? I wonder if she even knows she said that, he asked himself. _

_I felt kinda bad, springing that on him the way I did, _Caitlin said to herself. _Knowing Hawke like I do, I'll bet he didn't believe I said it, at first. Heck...if I know him, he probably wondered if I even _**knew **_that I said it...considering I was half asleep at the time. _At the same time, Caitlin felt a growing sense of anticipation and dread—anticipation because of the direction their relationship had taken, and the direction Caitlin thought it might be headed in the not-too-distant future, but dread over the inevitable confrontation with her mother. _Well, Mom's just going to have to understand that I'm an adult, and can make my own decisions, _Caitlin said to herself. _Besides, Mom's given me enough grief over Hawke...it could be interesting, being able to give _her _the news that he finally came to his senses about us...but, I can't tell her everything, _Caitlin realized, knowing that she didn't want her mother knowing about Airwolf, and the accident that had led to her temporary blindness. _But, we'll figure it out...together, _Caitlin said to herself, knowing that she and Hawke could handle anything, as long as they had each other.

Hawke, meanwhile, was practicing the song he had just finished, getting the feel of the notes and the timing of the piece that he had worked on during private moments over the course of the past week and a half. _Which haven't been that many, _he said to himself. _Between work and the fact that we spend almost every waking minute together when we're here, I'm surprised I got this written at all. I just hope she enjoys it, _he said to himself as he continued refining the composition.

Caitlin wasn't alone on her walk through the woods. Hawke's blue tick hound, Tet, had joined up with her a few minutes after she walked away from the cabin. "Were you lonely, Tet...or were you just keeping an eye on me?" She knew the dog couldn't answer her, of course, but she liked to think that Hawke had sent Tet after her, just in case. In the short time she'd lived here, she'd noticed Tet becoming more attached to her, and almost developing a protective attitude around her. _It's nice to know I've got another backup, _she said to herself, _even if it is a dog...y'know, I don't know _**why**_ Dom's always callin' Tet a 'good for nothing.' Tet's good...when he wants to be, _Caitlin smiled to herself as she watched the dog trot beside her.

She recalled the first night she had spent at the cabin, after being injured, when she had the nightmare about the accident. She hadn't heard Hawke come upstairs, didn't even know he was there until he tapped her on the shoulder. Then, she'd thrown her arms around him, relieved that he had somehow recognized her distress. A thousand feelings had flooded her mind and body when Hawke's arms went around her, and she remembered every one, from the feeling of his bare chest to the smell of cologne and soap she had inhaled when she finally was able to breathe. _I almost lost it right then, _Caitlin said to herself, knowing perfectly well what "it" was. _If I hadn't been so frightened...who knows what we would have done. _She grinned impishly when she remembered how timid Hawke had been when she recovered her sight, and told him of her decision to move into the cabin with him. She'd had to kiss him a second time before he'd fully accepted her decision, and even then, something didn't feel right to Cait.

"_Hawke, I've made a decision. I want...I want to move in here, with you." She gazed hesitantly into Hawke's piercing blue eyes, not sure she could read what those eyes were trying to tell her._

"_Cait, are you sure? I mean..." Hawke was cut off when Caitlin kissed him again, and this time he allowed himself to match her passion with his own, until he felt himself begin to lose control. Whoa...red light, Hawke, he told himself sternly as he broke the kiss._

"_Hawke? What's wrong?" Caitlin asked him, worried._

"_Cait...if you're sure you want to stay here..." Hawke noticed her expression, and smiled broadly, "then I have only one thing to say. Welcome home." Caitlin hugged him fiercely, but something nagged at her mind. He didn't answer my question. Why did he stop? _

_Now that I think about it...I'm _**glad **_he stopped...that time, _Caitlin said to herself. _I just wasn't ready to go that far...yet. And, I don't think Hawke was, either. Of course, _she mused with a grin, _it didn't take long before I _**was **_ready to go that far...and further._

"_By the way, Hawke...you never did tell me why you stopped kissing me this morning," Caitlin pointed out as they finished the dinner dishes._

"_Oh...that. Well, um...it's like this, Cait...I was beginning to feel..." Hawke stopped, embarrassed at exactly what he had felt. And, what I'm starting to feel again, he admitted to himself._

"_Hawke...are you telling me that you were...um...that you wanted to..." Caitlin tried to ask him, but felt just as embarrassed. I have a strange feeling of my own, Caitlin thought to herself, and something tells me that his feeling and my feeling will match perfectly._

"_Yeah, I was, Cait...and, I did want to...and, as long as we're talking about that...there's something else I need to tell you about," Hawke replied, and began telling her about the dreams he'd been having, and how they had led him to take even more stupid chances than normal, like the day they went after Krueger. "So you see, Cait...you wouldn't have even been in that situation if I hadn't been having those dreams. I just wanted to tell you...that I'm sorry," Hawke said with a sigh._

"_Hawke...I told you before, it's okay. And, I have to tell you something...I've been dreaming about you, too. Maybe not quite the same dreams that you've been having...but, ever since that day you kissed me on that movie set..." Caitlin didn't need to finish her sentence – she could see Hawke's reaction in his eyes, and she knew her decision had been the right one. Although I have to admit...I like the dreams he told me about, Caitlin said to herself. Especially the last one. I can't believe it...he actually dreamed that we got married! Well, I hope it comes true...soon. And, if I have anything to say about it, Caitlin thought to herself, as her heart sang, it will. _

_Smiling, she offered her hand to Hawke, who took it and allowed her to pull him towards the stairs to the bedroom. Before they started up the stairs, Caitlin saw the concern in Hawke's eyes, as if he were asking if this was what she truly wanted. She smiled suggestively, and said, "Just to let you know, Hawke...I want you, too..." and gave him her best impish grin as she led him up the stairs._

_End Flashback_

_And that was the night we made love, for the first time, _Caitlin said to herself, blinking back tears as she remembered how gentle Hawke had been. They had spent a good two hours afterward talking about the dreams they had about each other, and both agreed that, even though it had taken too long, they were finally exactly where they wanted to be. Hawke, of course, had attempted on several occasions to apologize for his behavior before, including the reckless attitude that had gotten Caitlin injured in the first place, but she was hearing none of it. "Besides," she had told him as they fell asleep, entwined in each other's arms, "If I hadn't gotten hurt, you wouldn't have brought me here to take care of me...and we wouldn't be here, like this, right now." Hawke had had to admit, he couldn't argue with logic like that.

After playing through the song several times, and making adjustments and corrections on his musical score, Hawke finally felt like it was ready for Caitlin. _I want it to be perfect, _he said to himself with a smile, _and, I think it finally is. I just hope she appreciates it. _He knew Caitlin was a country girl, and might not appreciate the deeply romantic tones of classical music, as he had come to. There was just one thing wrong..._where was she?_

_I hate to do this...oh, actually I don't...but, I suppose it's time for me to head back, _Caitlin said to herself with more than a small degree of sadness. _Hawke'll be wondering where the heck I disappeared __to. And knowing him, he'll start worrying again—and that's the last thing I want. _Snapping herself out of her daze, she turned back the way she had come, Tet following close behind her.

As she got closer to the cabin, Caitlin heard a hauntingly beautiful melody, and knew that Hawke was out playing his cello. _Probably sitting on the porch, like he did after the Anderson affair, when he played those little tunes to try to cheer me up...and, it worked. _This song, however, was different from anything she had heard him play before. It didn't have the mournful, somber sound of so many of the pieces Hawke had played for her. This sounded almost cheerful, _but so romantic, _Caitlin said to herself as she quickened her pace. _Who could have written such beautiful music? _She started going through the list of composers that she knew Hawke played pieces from, but none of the ones she could think of sounded like this particular piece. _Too bright for a Prokofiev...or Mozart. Tchaikovsky, maybe? Nah...he didn't write cello music, did he? Honneger, maybe...or Bach? Or Brahms? _None of those names seemed to fit the beautifully romantic melody that was exciting her ears.

As Hawke continued to play his composition, he imagined Caitlin's confusion as she tried to figure out who had written this piece. _Won't she be surprised to find out that it's mine, _Hawke said to himself as he started playing again.

Finally, Caitlin had arrived back at the cabin, still entranced by the beautiful music coming from Hawke's cello. She stood a few feet away from him, not wanting to break his concentration and destroy the mood of the music he was playing. Finally, she heard what she assumed were the final notes, and saw Hawke lower his bow as he noticed her standing off to the side.

"Hawke, that was beautiful," Caitlin said, with tears glistening in her eyes. "Who wrote that? Prokofiev? Mozart? Honneger?"

"Hawke," he answered her, and observed her shock when the full weight of his announcement dawned on Caitlin. He studied her face as she realized what he had said.

"Hawke? You mean..." Caitlin's expression turned from confusion to unadulterated shock and pride. "You mean that _you _wrote that beautiful piece? Hawke, I don't believe it. When? I never knew you could write music...especially, not music like _that,_" she said, fighting back tears of pride and love.

"I've been working on it for the past week and a half," Hawke said, smiling, as he moved over to allow Caitlin room to sit next to him. "I wrote it special...for you. I'm thinking of calling it _Caitlin's Aria_...and, I'll only play it for you...or for us," he finished, smiling. "I just wanted to do something special for you...to show you, again, how much I love you. So...what did you think? Do you like it?"

"Hawke...I _love it,_" Caitlin said, smiling through the tears which were coursing, unbidden, down her face. "And, I love you," she whispered before taking his lips with her own.

That evening, after dinner had been finished, Caitlin had asked to hear her song again, and Hawke was only too happy to oblige. As she listened to the music that he had created, and saw the eagle circling in the sky, crying its approval, Caitlin felt her heart sing with love directed towards Hawke...more love than she had ever felt for anyone in her life. She knew, as the song continued to its conclusion, that she was where she belonged, and with the man she was destined to be with. And, she also knew Hawke felt the same way about her. _I'll never look at him the same way again, _Caitlin said to herself after Hawke had put the cello away and the two of them had gone upstairs for the night. As they fell asleep, Caitlin found herself hearing her song in another setting, in her dream. The song was being played by a small group of violins and cellos, as Dominic was walking her towards Hawke, standing on the dock, on their wedding day. _I hope that happens, _Caitlin said to herself as she snuggled into Hawke's embrace, _soon. _Outside, the eagle made another pass over the cabin, and approvingly cried out into the night.


End file.
